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The Westboro Baptist in All of Us
Maybe we expect those at Westboro and Megan Phelps-Roper to be social misfits or sociopaths. It may be surprising to discover that's not the case. In 2011, the Kansas City Star newspaper described Megan as intelligent, athletic, a lover of Harry Potter and Mumford & Sons, and as "peppy, goofy and, by all accounts, happy." But in the next breath reporter Dugan Arnett rounds out his 2011 description of Megan with: "Oh, and one other thing about Megan: She wants to make it perfectly clear that you and the rest of this filthy, perverted nation will be spending a long, fiery eternity burning in hell." This same peppy, goofy Megan is also the one who picketed the funerals while holding hateful signs. What a contrast.
Most of us wouldn't go to the same lengths as those at Westboro, but collectively, we have our own prejudices, rigid rules, regulations, and zealotries. These drive us to marginalize, cast aspersions upon and exclude others within our own churches, Christian organizations and institutions who so much as dare to differ, even slightly, from our own political or theological stances.
I observed this firsthand during the recent presidential election. Two of the godliest people I know were eviscerated—slandered by other believers for publicly sharing the reasons they weren't voting for Mitt Romney. Christian zealots went so far as to demand that these two be fired from their place of employment.
In an insightful post entitled, "Zealotry Today," Scot McKnight observes:
Zealotry is conscious zeal to be radically committed, so radically committed that one goes beyond the Bible to defend things that are not in the Bible…. Zealots…convince themselves that, even though the Bible does not say something, what they are saying is really what the Bible wanted after all.
My friend and New Testament scholar, Tim Gombis, says that such behavior is due to our underlying assumptions. In his post, "The Fundamentalist's Error" (an error made by many of us, not just fundamentalists) he explains, "The underlying assumption is that my thoughts are God's thoughts; my cause is God's cause. This divine alliance makes me exempt from obedience in order that I might bring about God's purposes."
There's no doubt that some of us evangelicals do have a penchant for bludgeoning those Christians unlike us; we zealously use godless means to accomplish what we believe to be God's ends. We fail to realize that God cares about the means we use just as much as he cares about the ends. Like Megan and those at Westboro, we too can be intelligent, peppy, goofy, all-in-all seemingly well-adjusted, while peacefully promulgating contempt for those who dare to question our stances.
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Comments
Sandra Duffy
Karen I'm aware that suicide and homelessness among young gay males is an epidemic in the US and yes it seems that their treatment at the hands of Evangelical communities is a primary cause. Atheists too often express fear of 'coming out' in communities where organised religion is a dominant force and many suffer greatly if they do. And as described by Tim even a loosening of ties with a specific church can be an abusive experience when that church has taken cult like control of it's community. With regard to the Phelps at least three of the Phelps children broke away from that family before. Nathan Phelps (son of Fred Phelps) has written about his awful childhood in that family and the impact it's had on him over many years. I hope these grandchildren can get some support from the aunt and uncles that had the bravery and insight to leave decades before them.
Jim Ricker
Christians are just as dumb as the rest of the population and groups within that population. We all have our favorite sins to hate and like everyone else, it usually doesn't come from a proper grounding in truth. We should be more humble and remember that no matter the sin, the sin can be forgiven.Homosexuality is not the great sin and for my leftist friends, being a conservative is no more a sin than being a liberal. We just like to pick our own pet sins and pretend others are worse than us.
Ed mac
This is what cults do when someone leaves there gathering. It sounds like some of the things they do are cultic in nature. I know Jesus would forgive even them.
Nancy Lee
This was a fantastic piece. I hope we're all willing to look deeply and see who's on our own "lists" of those whose sins are somehow worse than our own . . . Much humility is necessary to do that, but Christ-like love requires it. God, forgive us for the people we've harmed.
Tim Fall
Marlena, this same phenomenon happens repeatedly with a large church in my town. Everything looks fine until a member wants to leave. Whether it's to attend another church or to stop attending one at all, the home church shuns them. No kidding, shun. Hundreds of people immediately consider that person no longer part of their acquaintance. Everyone I know who has come out of that church has been treated that way, and every one of them has suffered emotionally and relationally and some of them even with physical ailments. I think Megan and Grace would be wise to seek Christian counseling, someone who is experienced in former cult members reentering society; I hope they already are. Blessings, Tim (timfall.wordpress.com)
Kathi Vande Guchte
Karen Smith, there's always something Christians will jump on and rip apart - your not the only group.
Robert Yount
Marlena, well done, well said, Thank You!
Cheryl Okimoto
Marlena, thank you for this very thoughtful post! Grace AND Truth. Truth AND Grace. We must have both to follow Christ for that is what he came to bring us (John 1:14, 17). Grace and truth go beyond the Law, are higher than the Law, but do not abolish the Law (Matthew 5:17). The Law teaches us what sin is, but if enforced without grace it has lost its truth (Romans 7). But grace given without truth will not lead to eternal life (John 3:16-21). There is a balance between grace and truth that is impossible for mere mortals; it is only through the power of the Holy Spirit that the balance becomes possible. We all must pray daily to keep God the center focus of our lives lest we fall into one extreme or the other.
Karen Smith
I can't help but note the similarity between what Megan is experiencing and what many gay children of evangelicals experience. (Yes, in my experience it's primarily children of evangelicals (and Muslims): Mainline parents aren't as worried, Catholic parents tend to be condemning of the lifestyle and loving of the child, but Evangelicals lean more heavily to casting out their children. At least in my experience; the plural of data is not anecdote, so I may just be seeing selection bias..) ---- As for driving us (LGBT people) away, yeah that's happened. I've been attacked in LGBT circles for identifying as a Christian (I'm no quieter about that than I am about being gay), with the most disturbing reason being that for some people it's a trigger due to abuse received at the hands of those that believe they are doing God's Will.
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